OP
OP
Hokkmike
Member
Thank you for that.Well, first off I think the Henry Big Boy is butt ugly. Clearly designed to look vaguely like the 'brass framed' (actually bronze gunmetal) Winchester Model 1866, the classic 'Yellowboy', but the lines are not as smooth as the real Winchester Model 1866. The action inside the Big Boy is pretty much the same as a Marlin Model 1894. I know a few guys who have bought them over the years for CAS, and most have gotten rid of them. They tend to jam when cycled fast, and there are no after market parts available. Yes, HRAC has a great repair policy, they will usually repair them free of charge. But why do so many need to be repaired? Obviously you cannot buy a real Winchester Model 1866 anymore for less than a fortune, and the 44 Henry Rimfire ammunition is not available anymore, but you can buy an Uberti copy chambered for a variety of modern cartridges. Not to mention that to load it you have to pull out the magazine tube like I did when I was a kid with my 22 rifles. At one point Henry claimed the frame was not strong enough to make a cut for a side loading gate, which is hogwash. Winchester first put a side loading gate in their rifles in 1866.
https://www.uberti-usa.com/1866-yellowboy-rifle
But mostly my complaint about HRA is their deceptive advertising. On the Henry History page of their website they go into great detail about Benjamin Tyler Henry and his contribution to the development of repeating rifles. But no where do they mention that Henry was actually an employee of the New Haven Arms Company, which eventually became the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1866. The reader is left to assume that the current HRAC is somehow a descendant of that original company. That is called lying through omission. I have heard many guys claiming that the current company bought the name, which is simply not true. The Henry name was in public domain and Mr Imperato simply adopted it because it was a well known name in the firearms world. Call me a purist, but that is most of why I don't like HRAC and their rifles.
https://www.henryusa.com/about-us/henry-history/
You will also hear the argument that it is an American company, and buying one of their rifles will keep your hard earned dollars here in this country rather than sending them to Italy. True enough but in my book it does not offset the deceptive advertising.
You asked, that is my opinion.
